Paradigm by Gaslight
Even though Paradigm City is saturated with street gangs, organized crime bosses, and super-powered thugs and masterminds it also has its fair share of supernatural and paranormal beings. The difference is that while the average citizen can read about the exploits of his favorite hero in the morning edition over a cup of coffee, those events that are considered mystical, paranormal, or supernatural rarely make mainstream headlines. That is not to say they don't exist. Paradigm City is rife with very unusual occurrences especially in Darkness Falls, Raven's Grove, and Wideview. Every day, particularly from these three districts, reports come in of some new supernatural phenomenon or creature. Ghosts: By far the most commonly reported supernatural events are ghosts and other hauntings, especially in Darkness Falls. The Gaslight Society has estimated that the hauntings of the Falls are at a whopping 60% of the population, which roughly figures to about every two buildings in ten having some kind of haunting phenomena. The Gaslight has innumerable records of poltergeists, EVPs, partial glimpses, and even full-figured apparitions in their vaults, with many photographs and video of ghosts and anomalies as well. As for other types of hauntings, the Gaslight also has numerous reports of possessed toys, objects, and tectonic entities as well, including a few very rare pictures of the legendary Northern Scrapyard Beast in Wideview, and has an authentic possessed doll kept carefully locked under glass and high tech security systems. The Gaslight Society has yet to determine why ghosts are so prevalent, especially in Darkness Falls. UFOs: Unidentified Flying Objects are the least of reported activities. Since humanity learned of the existence in intelligent life on other worlds with the arrival of the Malvan hero Paragon in 1956 Paradigm's Citizens have put UFOs on the back burner of paranormal encounters. It seems like almost every day new alien species, other worlds, or brand new dimensions are being discovered so when a citizen reports odd lights in the sky or three 'Greys' running around the concerns reach an all time low. True, certain alien villains like Firewing, Thok, and Hurculean can raise alarm bells for the most part UFO sightings just don't have the kick they did in the 1930s and 1940s. Cryptids: Cryptids--unusual animals that science doesn't have a rational explanation for--continue to get the most press and public excitement, especially when such reports come out of Wideview. Wideview seems a natural habitat for strange beasts owing to the wide expanses of empty wilderness where an unidentified species could hide. Paradigm City continues to thrill its residents often with tales of monstrous dogs, giant hunting cats, enormous bats, anthropomorphic creatures, hellhounds, and other weird beasties. While it's very true that a lot of these reports could be just sightings of renegade, master-less anthropomorphic animals or escaped lab experiments the law would still love to find them and provide an answer to the mystery. In the early 2000s there was a mass hysteria about a giant, seven foot tall lizard-man seen in Millennium City's sewers but an investigation by Genesis and Heatwave revealed that the poor creature was just a terrified escaped anthropomorph. Vampires: Every group that believes in the supernatural is going to believe in vampires but although a lot of fringe occultists like to scream about dozens of bloodsucking creatures of the night haunting Paradigm City's back alleys and abandoned mansions, factual evidence of such creatures is greatly lacking. The Gaslight Society has poured countless research dollars and hours into the investigation of vampires in Paradigm City but the most evidence they can turn up is...maybe. They have found some little hints and clues to point to some vampire activity in the city but so far they cannot determine if what they've found belongs to a true supernatural creature or just a meta-human. Still, there are true believers out there that poo-poo such findings by insisting that the vampires of Paradigm City are just extremely good at remaining hidden. Werebeasts: Almost nobody believes in the existence of true werebeasts anymore owing to the fact that there are so many mutants, experiments, and accidental mutates that can shape shift into animals that the idea of a true supernatural werebeast, a man or woman whom becomes a murderous monster when the moon is full and can only be killed by silver, has been discredited. Still, there are some true believers. The Gaslight Society, when asked about the existence of a true werebeast, again, can only confirm...maybe. Occult Societies Regardless of the general public acceptance there are a number of organizations and groups operating within Paradigm City that have garnered public attention. The Gaslight Society is the most well-known of these organizations. Since it's founding in 1888 the Society has worked to prove or disprove supernatural phenomena is every part of Paradigm City. The Society was f ormed in intention by Dame Samantha Wainbridge, the great matriarch of the Wainbridge family of Darkness Falls. In the autumn of 1888 Dame Samantha relocated from her native Bristol, England to Darkness Falls in order to scrutinize supernatural activity. She was joined by a number of fellows: Johnathan Cumberland, Dr. Pierre Renee, and Edith Nordhoff, and the Society was formed. One hundred thirty years later the Society has grown into a multinational conglomerate with over 30,000 employees worldwide with their main headquarters and primary information vault in Darkness Falls. The Gaslight Society is always the first place that super heroes and other law enforcement agencies turn to when they suspect that they are up against a supernatural menace. The Dark Light: Existing only as vague rumors in the infamous Deep Web, the Dark Light is said to be an organization that was founded by an ancient Egyptian pharaoh to battle the forces of supernatural evil encroaching upon humanity. So far no research or evidence has ever been able to even suggest that such an organization exists anywhere in the world, much less Paradigm City. The 13th Hour: If the evidence collected by the Gaslight Society and various law enforcement agencies, including Heroes Unlimited, is to be believed than the 13th Hour is the singular greatest paranormal threat to mankind that has ever strode across God's green earth. Though there has never been anything to emphatically prove that this criminal organization exists, the implication that it does simply scares the hell out of people. Apparently, the 13th Hour is based in Darkness Falls and is a vast empire of supernatural creatures hellbent on eradicating human beings from the face of the earth by whatever means necessary. Natural disasters, man-man global environmental disasters, and quietly nurturing mass murders and serial killers have all been placed at the feet of the mythical 13th Hour. The Hour is rumored to be spearheaded by eight extremely powerful supernatural beings including a vampire, a lich, a mummy, and a werewolf whom call themselves the Hellfire Club. Jewel Club Underground is an up-and-coming crime organization which has formed its own semi-aristocratic society. They claim to be, and might very well be, a group of vampires. They run the underground blood trade in Raven's Grove, which usually also involves the transportation and exchange of illicit narcotics. The JCU is organized by a council of 11 individuals, each one having their own cult of minions and followers. The most prominent of these council members is David Davenport, the Assistant Mayor of Raven's Grove though this is not public knowledge. Davenport likes to think that nobody knows but the truth is that the Mayor of Raven's Grove, Crowley, and the occult superhero Solitaire are already well aware of his sanguine activities. The Circle Trinity is a mystical organization that operates within the Greene Way. Their origins and methodologies are unclear but the evidence so far suggests that they are Japanese in origin, often making use of Japanese super-villains and yokai (monsters) as their agents and intermediaries. The Circle Trinity is exceptionally good and remaining hidden, not even Solitaire has been able to uncover much information about them. Notable Occult Figures The following individuals, hero and villain alike, use magic in some form. The Gaslight Society is known to have huge files detailing each of these occult specialists. Since the core members of Heroes Unlimited that have magical backgrounds have been discussed elsewhere, they are not included in this commentary. ''Him ''is a creature of unknown origin, and possibly may not even truly exist. Him ''resides in the area of Nightward where Raven's Grove would be on First-Earth. There is much rampant speculation about what or who ''Him ''may be. The Gaslight Society and several other occult organizations and figures alternately belive that ''Him ''is the force of evil that leaks vile magic and monstrosities into Darkness Falls and Raven's Grove; that ''Him ''may be the progenitor of the Black Judges of Nightward, and also that ''Him ''is just a myth told to try and explain the overall bizarre nature of Nightward. One thing is known for certain: nothing about ''Him ''will be known until some brave hero is able to get a look and confirm that ''something ''is there. '''Cantrip' is probably the second best known occult superhero of Raven's Grove. Where Flourish draws her power from her Grimoire of the Ageless, Vanessa Rodgers specializes in magic of the mind. She uses her magic for reading minds, exploring and interpreting dreams, telekinesis, and--when necessary--mind control. Cantrip often works with her mentor, Solitaire, and her close friend REM. Cantrip and Flourish have a bristling, deep seated rivalry that is constant material used by newspapers and news rags as editorials. Fugue has never, to anyone's knowledge, been seen. She is a true and pure enigma, a brooding occultist hidden somewhere in Darkness Falls. Fugue seems to specialize in and exclusively use clairvoyant magic to monitor her city. Whenever some kind of magical threat looms over Darkness Falls, Fugue sends horrifically vivid but symbolic dreams to every hero in Paradigm City. Many myths, legends, and rumors persist about Fugue; the most accepted one being that she is none other than Dame Samantha Wainbridge, the founder of the Gaslight Society. Spellbinder '''is an known occultist working within the Syndicate. His civilian identity remains unknown to law enforcement at this time. Spellbinder is a pick-pocket and prestidigitator, but his most impressive skills is his talent for opening magical gateways through which his entire team can flee from superheroes and police. '''Black Bison, criminal mastermind of TerraFirma, is a known Chumash shaman. He wears a mystic amulet that causes him--as John Raincloud--to become possessed by the spirit of his grandfather four times removed, Bison Black as Midnight Sky. Black Bison wields a prayer stick that allows him to infuse inanimate objects with life, control the weather, and command animals. Horoscopy, a member of The Outsiders, is an alien Toogarth whom uses enchantment and sorcery to beffudle the senses of foes, control their minds, and create blasting bolts of raw arcane force. Category:Characters